The present invention relates to a method for positioning a flexible printing plate on a carrier, comprising the following steps of: placing on a table the flexible printing plate for positioning, determining the position of the printing plate by means of a camera and, depending on the position, moving the printing plate to its end position on the carrier.
The present invention also relates to a device for positioning a printing plate on a carrier, comprising a table for positioning the at least one printing plate for positioning, support means for supporting the carrier on which the printing plate must be positioned, at least one camera for recording the image of the printing plate, a manipulator for transporting the printing plate from the table to a carrier placed on the support means, and a control means which is adapted to control the manipulator and which is connected to the camera to obtain signals coming from the camera.
Such a method and such a device are known from Netherlands patent application no. 1 007 631.
In this prior art method and in this prior art device a printing plate for positioning is placed on a table, whereafter the position of the printing plate on the table is determined. It is then determined over which distance and in which direction the printing plate must be moved so that it comes to lie at its desired position on the carrier. Once this displacement, which can otherwise comprise not only a linear displacement but also a rotation, has been determined it is carried out. Use is made for this purpose of a manipulator which forms part of the device in question.